Bridgerton, But With a Modern Twist

I adore this regency-style wedding editorial inspired by the enchanting vibes of Bridgerton. Overflowing with romance and excitement, the venue at Hamswell House near Bath whisks guests back to a luxurious time, so it was the perfect backdrop for Etiquette Events and friends to create some ethereal magic. Imagine soft blues, pinks, and lavender setting the mood, creating a dreamy feeling. The bride wears Millia London dresses that are all about tulle frills, giving a royal touch to the whole scene.

Paige says…

We took our time searching for the perfect venue for this shoot. We sought somewhere with history and character, some beautiful spaces, and flexibility to bring our concept to life. Hamswell House ticked all of those boxes. It’s a beautiful family-owned venue with stunning grounds, secret gardens, plenty of characterful spaces and the capacity to host anything from an intimate set-up to a much larger party!

Etiquette is known to go big in what we do, but we wanted to push it further and create a shoot that combines the style we are known for with some exciting new trends we have been keeping our eyes on. With its fabulous, extravagant florals, lilac and cornflower hues and use of outdoor space, we were able to combine the Regency grandeur of the ever-popular ‘Bridgerton’ show with a few modern twists.

We focused on a muted spring/summer pastel colour palette and were keen on our floral instalments doing all the talking! We decided to host it outside in a neutral but beautiful orangery. We also kept our tablescape and other decor neutral buttermilk, glass and ivory tones.

We wanted that ‘wow factor’ from the gowns and something different from the traditional ivory gown. As soon as we saw Millia London’s designs, we knew they would be perfect for our shoot concept! The two dresses picked up all the styling notes to complement the florals and surroundings and create that statement we wanted. And you can never go wrong with a traditional tuxedo! The traditional style Rathbones Tailors provided us was the perfect nod to the classic romantic vibe and worked wonderfully as a counterpart to the gowns.

We have been swooning over ground arches/crescent shapes and knew we had to create one as the focal point of our ceremony styling. Playing with height, shape and depth, we could frame the couple in an abundance of dreamy meadow-like florals. Another trend we have been waiting to try is the ‘living aisle’ made up of single-stem florals. Commonly styled with roses, we wanted to add a twist by combining 6 or 7 flowers, from stocks and carnations to alliums and garden roses. The impact this created was fantastic. To top the styling off and to lend as much focus to the aisle and ground crescent as possible, we arranged the seating as an angled catwalk style to allow guests the best view of all the action!

We wanted to create a tablescape that would exude texture, warmth and movement. The extravagant floral garland was the main focus of the table, so we knew we wanted to keep the linens, crockery, cutlery and glassware classic and timeless. We used the layering technique to create each place setting. We focused on using a subtle variety of colours from our palette and building texture using luxe feel linens and texture crockery. Using a warmer base linen, combined with a lace porcelain charger plate, a soft hue linen napkin, a scalloped edge dinner plate and topped with a bud to complement the centrepiece florals – it gave each setting interest and dimension. Stationery was key to adding that final touch. Love Flora created some stunning pieces that added a pop of colour and a subtle nod to the Regency period with intricate floral detailing and moving away from the standard rectangle shape.

Our wonderful team of in-house floral designers at Etiquette were able to let their creative juices flow with this shoot. We wanted the florals to feel soft, textured and organic and pack the impactful punch we needed. We chose delicate small-headed florals such as Nigella and Tanacetum to complement and add depth to the statement Delphiniums, Stocks, Alliums and Garden Roses.

We hope this shoot will inspire couples to be bold in their choices and to stray from perhaps more traditional styling to tailor their day to what they want! The styling we chose works well in intimate settings but can be replicated on a much bigger scale to create that drama without sacrificing the finer details. We wanted it to be as versatile as possible and always champion re-using as much styling and florals as possible throughout the day. For example, we re-used some of the florals from the ceremony to style spaces such as the cake and champagne tower.